The present invention relates to a structure which permits the rapid coupling of assemblies to one another without the need for loose parts or precise alignment.
In the prior art, when it has been necessary to pivotally interconnect two assemblies to one another, it has been conventional to provide each assembly with a fitting having a hole therein, and to align the said holes carefully with one another whereafter a pin or bolt is inserted through the aligned holes. This procedure often gives rise to considerable difficulty and the need for multiple persons when the pivotal connection must be made between comparatively large and/or heavy parts, e.g., to pivotally interconnect an antenna reflector to an antenna support structure during the erection of an antenna unit of the type described, for example, in Gurney et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,565 issued Sept. 13, 1983, for "Quickly Erectable Antenna Support Structure". The situation is further complicated by the fact that the pin which is employed in effecting the pivotal connection is normally a loose part which may be misplaced and therefore unavailable when it is desired to make the pivotal connection. Although efforts have been made to minimize this latter problem by coupling the pin to one of the pivotal parts by use of a lanyard, such a lanyard restricts the easy motion of the pin and frequently breaks with the result that the pin is lost.
The present invention is intended to obviate the foregoing problems by the provision of a structural arrangement which permits a joint to be created that functions like a pinned joint through a limited range of angular motion, but which eliminates the need to carefully align holes in the parts which are to be pivotally interconnected to one another, and eliminates the need for using or inserting a separate pin into such aligned holes.